Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Carini
Michael, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My name is Michael Carini and I’ll a full-time artist that operates under my own name, as well as the business name of Carini Arts. This journey has been a lifelong dream, and I find myself working as hard today as I was on day 1. I show with a number of galleries across the country, including local galleries like Adelman Fine Art, Sparks Gallery, and The Studio Door. I do a ton of free artist support content and also offer private lessons. You are all welcome to join me on this journey, and your support means more right now than it probably ever has before. There’s much more to my story, but you can find that on my site or other platforms.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Absolutely not. Every single day has been a struggle, though a struggle worth fighting through. The economy has been brutal and that has significantly impacted the art market. When the economy gets hit, people stop buying art, because it’s viewed as a luxury and not a necessity. Though I can certainly understand, it’s putting artists like myself in a position that they can no longer sustain. If the artists can’t sustain and the art is lost, if the artists are lost, what then? That’s a scary thought, but something I’ve had to think about.
I’m a neurodivergent artist (Tourette’s) and am coming off a traumatic brain injury from last July that resulted from someone hitting me at full speed from behind while I was stopped in traffic on the 8/163 merge. Life presents us all with obstacles. I choose to use mine to fuel me. I put them in the work. I think that’s one of the blessings of being an artist.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I call my process Acrylic Alchemy and it’s about utilizing your pain as a source of fuel to create something positive and beautiful for the world through this process of transmutation. If you can find a way to do that, it takes away the power it holds over you. My work is extremely personal, emotional, and works through some pretty dark things in my effort to shine a light on the darkness:
-Trauma
-Abuse
-Disability
-Depression
-My father’s suicide
-2009 assault and battery
-The disappearance and suspected murder of someone I loved dearly (Deanne Hastings)
-2023 traumatic brain injury
The key ingredient to my work is just a painful honesty and vulnerability. I think I am a little different, but by no means special. I’m just a person dealing with what life presents me, much like all of you. I do believe that I have the potential to do something special, and I believe people need hope right now more than ever before. I hope I can give that to a few people as I search for it within myself.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
An obstinate and absolute refusal to quit. I have no back up plan, and I will fight for my dream until the day I die. For far too long I thought a safety net would prevent me from falling. What it really did was prevent me from flying.
Pricing:
- Reach out for inquiries
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cariniarts.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/acrylicalchemy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CariniArts/
- Threads: https://www.threads.net/@acrylicalchemy
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CariniArts
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/carini-arts-san-diego-4
- Other: https://linktr.ee/michaelcarini
Image Credits
NA
